Traveling crane.



PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

A. E. EVANS. TRAVELING CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1906.

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LLI-- Gi -6mm MN 3 1m H. =5 H W a E 6 3 m NH qm q u a a Mu O 0 ITNESSES No. 846,837. I PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907. A. E. EVANS.

TRAVELING CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.28. 1906.

J 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR W a. 6mm, Wm y w WITN E55 ES PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

A. E. EVANS.

TRAVELING CRANE.

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PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

A. E. EVANS. TRAVELING CRANE. APPLICATION IILED SEPT. 2a. 1996.

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(vQBumu, aims 4 UNrrn sfr rn ALBERT E. EVANS, OF PITTSBURG,

ATENT OFFIG.

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR TO THE PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRAVEUNG CRANE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

:a'tentea Maren 12, 1907.

Application filed September 28,1906. Serial No. 336,613.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, AL ERT E. EVANS, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Traveling Crane, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, on a larger scale, showingpart of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line V V of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the friction brake-band. Figs. 7 to 12, inclusive, are detail views showing the devices for producing lost motion between the middle drum and the other drums. Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are detail views showing the mechanism employed to automatically operate the controller for the hoisting-drums in order to stop the hoisting and the lowering operations at predetermined limits. Figs. 16 and 17 are detail views of the oint or pivot for the grapplinghooks and show the manner in which the opening and closing movements of the hooks are limited.

My apparatus affords sim le means by which tongs can be operate tograsp the burden which is to be raised and also to raise or lower the burden by means of a single shaft adapted to rotate several drums and provided with clutch mechanism by which one of the drums can be held, so as to permit independent motion of the other drums either in opening or closing the tongs and by which all of the drums can be rotated simultaneously for the purpose of raising and lowering the burden. It also provides means for automatically stopping the hoisting mechanism when the grappling hooks or tongs have reached the predetermined limit of upward or downward travel and means by which the opening and closing movement of the hooks or tongs is limited. 1

In the drawings, 2 represents the overhead track on which a traveling trolley runs, which is a single I-beam, as shown, or which may be of any suitableconstruction, and 3 is a trolley which is mounted on the track by means of suitable wheels 4 4. The overhead track may be suspended from the roof-truss of a building or may be carried on any de sired type of framework. The trolley may be caused to travel along the track by means of a motor 5, provided with suitable gearing 6. The trolley preferably carries the operators platform 7 and the motor 8, by means of which the grappling hooks or tongs opening and closing mechanism is operated. This motor is in gear with a shaft 9, carrying drums 10, 11, and 12. The drums 10 and 12 are provided with ropes or other flexible connections 13 13, connected to the arms 14 of tongs 15, and the middle drum is provided with a imilar rope 16, which is connected to the frame 17 of the tongs. It is clear from the construction shown in the drawings that if the rope 16 is held stationary while the ropes 13 are unwound from the drums 10 12 1 that it will bear the weight of the tongs, and the jaws being relieved thereby will open, whereas if the rope 16 be held stationary and the ropes 13 wound on the drums 1O 12 the weight of the tongs and the burden will be put upon the jaws and the jaws will close.

My invention provides means by which these drums 10 11 12, although mounted on a single shaft and operated by a single motor, will enable the drum-11 to be heldand prevented from rotating while the drums 10 and 12 are rotated in either direction to asufficient extent to transfer the support from the jaws to the frame of the tongs, and vice versa, and means whereby the drum 11 may be caused to rotate with the shaft 9 in either direction at any point between the extreme limits of the independent rotation of this drum on the shaft. 1

My invention also provides 'means b which the three drums are positively rotated together while the tongs are held in either their open or closed position and means for automatically operating the controller for the drum-motor when thetongs have reached their upper or lower position.

by which the opening and closing movement the motor 8 is connected with the shaft 9,.

so that when the drums have reached the limit of their rotation in either direction the controller will be automatically operated to open the'cireuit and stop the motor, thus preventing injury to the apparatus. erably this is done by means of a pinion20 ou the controller 20, which meshes with a rack 21. The rack 21 is connected, by means of the link 21, with the lower end of the lever 22, whichis loosely mounted on the end of the shaft 23. A second lever 24 is secured on the shaft 23, so as to be rotated by it, and

the end of the, lever 24 is providedwith a projection 24 which engages with the oppositeedg'es of the lever 22 and causes the'lever 22 to move to operate the controller'when the worm-wheel 25 is rotated by the worm 26, which is located on theend of the drumshaft 9 when the drums are rotated to hoist or lower the grappling hooks or tongs; of the drums 10 and 12 is fixed to the shaft 9. The middle drum is not fixed to the shaft,

but is designed to be connect-ed therewith for rotation in either direction by. means of the apparatus shown in Fig; 3, which alsofaffords the required independence. of rotation of the drums 10 and 1-2 to the limited extent necessary for transferring the support from r the jaws to the frame of the tongs.

Referring to 'B igs. 1 to 3, the drum 11 is mounted loosely on the shaft 9, and there are clutch shoes 27 interposed between the flange on the drum and the clutch-wedges 2&

- These clutch-wedges are fixed as regardsro- 33, 34,35, and 36.

member 35.

by a friction ring 41, 'thepreferable construction of which is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, hav- 'tative movement, but are adapted to reci rocate on" the tubular portion 29- of t= e hanger 29 by means of a lever 30, which is operated by a hand-lever 31 at the'operators station on the trolley and is connected 'toipins or trunnions 32 on the utch-wedgsj 28. The lost motion is provided. y four members The part 33 is keyed to the shaft, the parts 34 and 35 are loose on the shaft, and the part 36 is fixed to the drum 11. The part133'isshown in Fig. 8, and'has a 'proje'ction 37, and the part 35 (shown in Figs. 9 and 10) has two projections The intermediate member 34' ='(shown in Figs; 11 and 12) has projections 38 and 38.

39 39"on' its opposite sides, these-being adapted to en'gage the projections 37 and 38-ofthe members 33 and 35. The member '36 has an inward projection 40, which is adaptedto engage the projection 38 of the The member 36' is surrounded ing di'vided at points 41*.

Prefdrum temporarily from rotation.

Each

ing two parallel members encircling the member 36 and connected together by an intermediate web 41, and each of them be- This clutch-ring 41 is operated by a lever 42, whichis pivoted. to a'clutch-casing 43, keyed-to the shaft 9, and the lever 42 is adapted tobe moved on its fulcrum 44 by means of a cone-shaped wedge 45,'which is mounted on the shaft, and is moved back and forth by means of a lever 46, connected to hand-lever 47 at the station of the operator.

The tongs being supposed to be in the position as is shown by dotted lines'in Fig. 2 around. a group of pipes B or other burden to be elevated, if it is desired to close the tongs upon the burden and then to raise them the operator proceeds as follows: He first moves the lever 31 so as" to press the wedges 28 into engagement with the frictionshoes 27, which by pressing outwardly against the flange of the drum holds the He then by means of the controller 20 starts the 1notor 8' and rotates the shaft 9. As the drum 11 is held by the clutch it will'remain stationary while the drums 10 and 12 rotate, raising the ropes 1.3 and inclosing the jaws upon the burden. When they have rotated sufficiently to close the tongs, the: projection on the member '33, which is keyed to and rotates. with the shaft, will have engaged the projection on the member 34, and this in turn will have engaged the,

projection on the member 35, and the latter will have engaged the projection on the member 36, which, being fixed to the drum, will then cause'the rotation of the drum. As soon as the operatorperceives by the tendency of the clutch to slipthat the rota tion of the drum 11 has begun he will re lease his hold on the lever 31, the reby freeing drums and to raise the tongs.

' When it is desired to lower the tongs, with the burden, upon the floor or other support, the operator moves the cone-wedge 45 by means of the lever 46 and its connections, so as to 'move it forwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3, causing the clutch-arm 42to loo 'the'clutch-members 27 and 28 and permitting j the drum 11 to rotate freely with the other move on its pivot and to press its inner end inwardly, thus clamping the clutch-ring 41 firmly upon the member 36, and thus connecting this member frictionally to the shaft and compelling it to rotate with the shaft. He then reverses the motionof the motor 8, which causes the shaft 9 to turn in the direc-' tion proper for loweringjtlie tongs, so that the action of the clutch-ring 41 will cause the.

drum 11 to turn with the shaft 9, and therefore with the drums'lOiand 12, so that all the ropes 13 and 16 are unwound at anequal rate 0 in the clutch-ring 41.

5 wedges 28, and meantimecauses the shaft 9 and drums 10 andll to rotate and wind up the ropes 13 until the tongs are opened to the desired amount. N The operator then starts the drum 11 to rotate with the shaft 9 by 10 means of the hand-lever 47 through its con nection with the cone-wedge 45, movement of which causes the friction-band 4]. to grasp the friction member 36 on the drum 1.1. At the same time the lever 31 is actuated to cause 15 the clutch-wedges 28 to release the frictionshoes 27 from engagement with the drum 11 and permit this drum to rotate with the shaft 9. This operation may also be performed to lower the tongs while partly open of the drums being reversed in this case.

When in hoisting or lowering the tongs l5 reach the upward or downward limit of travel, the lever 24 on the end of the shaft will be rotated by the worm-wheel 25 and worm 26 on the end of the drum-shaft 9 and the projection 24 and the end of the lever 24 will be moved and through the link 21 and the rack 21 and pinion 20 will move the controllerlever to its central position, thus opening the circuit and stopping the motor until such time as it is again started in the opposite direction only through the hand-lever 20 by the operator.

When the burden has reached the floor or other support and it is desired to open the tongs, the operator moves back the clutchlever 46, thereby retracting the cone-wedge and loosening the pressure of the lever 42 This disconnects the shaft 9 from the member 36. The operator again moves the lever 31, so as to bring the parts 28 27 and the drum 11 into frictional contact, thus holding the drum 11, and as 5 the members 34, 35, and '36 are no longer held frictionally or by engagement with the member 33 the shaft 9, together with the drums 10 and 12, will continue to rotate independently of the drum 11, which remains stationary. The effect of this is to cause the unwinding of the ropes 13, while the rope 16 is held, and the tongs will thus be opened. While the tongs are in this open position, by rotating the drums 10 11 12, together, so as to wind the ropes upon the drums, the tongs will be raised while open' and will remain open untilthey are again lowered into position and it is desired, to close theniupon another burden, when theao eration as above dedeso'ribed willjagain ererieated. -l In order to provide positive means for limiting the opening and closing movements of the arms the tongs, the meetingfaee s of the piv ot or joint are provided with projection or jaws 48,

in the same manner, the direction of rotation Figs. 16 and 17,v which permit the tongs to open freely Within the desired limit and prevent unnecessary movement of the hoisting apparatus.

The advantage of using two loose members 34 and 35 between the member 33 and the member 36 is that it provides a greater range of independent motion of the s'haftrelatively to the drum 1 1, although my invention as defined in the broader claims is not limited thereto. The shape of the tongs shown in Fig. 2 is novel and useful. These tongs are made of such shape that when they surround the burden they will completely encircle the same, and for this purpose the jaws are made of L shape, their lower extremitiesbeing substantially at right angles to the upper portions. This affords jaws which are better adapted for the handling of pi e and other cylindrical objects than other evices of the kind heretofore known to me.

The skilled mechanic will be able to modify the apparatus in many ways without departure from the invention as defined in the claims, since What I claim is- 1. Apparatus for operating hoisting-drums independently or simultaneously as desired, comprising a shaft and drums, one of said drums being fixed to the shaft, and the other drum having mechanism adapted to permit independent rotation of the shaft to a limited extent, and holding mechanism on said shaft by which the drum is held. during such independent motion; substantially as described.

2. Apparatus for operating hoisting-drums independently or-simultaneously as desired, comprising a shaft and three'drums'fat least one of said drums being fixed to the shaft and at least one of the other drums having mechanism on said shaft to permit. independent rotation of the shaft to a limited extent; substantially as described. I i

3. Apparatus for operating hoisting-drums independently or simultaneously as desired, comprising a shaft and drums, one of said drums being fixed to the shaft, and the other drumhaving mechanism adapted to permit independent rotation of the shaft to a limited extent;v and means for rotating said'other drum at any point within the limitsof its independent rotation substantially as described. f y j .4. The combination of a shaft, a rotative member mounted, loosely thereon, friction mechanism for holding said member, and a collar orprojection the shaft, and a second collar or projectionconnected'with the drum and having loose intermediate motion andfrictional means for rotating said, drum at any point within the limits of its loose intermed ate motionsubstantially asdescrib'ed.

p 5 Thecombination of a shaft, a rotative member mounted loosely thereon, frictional IOO mechanism for holding said member, a collar or projection on the shaft, and a second collar or projection connected with the drum, and

' an intermediate loose member or members having collars or projections adapted'to engage the collars or projections above menv tioned and having intermediate loose motion; substantially as described. A

6. The combination of a shaft, a rotative Y inembenmounted loosely thereon, frictional mechanism for holding said member, a collar or projection on the shaft, and a second collar or projections connected with the drum and having loose intermediate motion, and a ed to permit independent rotation of the shaft to a limited extent, holding mechanism adapted to hold the drum during-such independent motion, and mechanism ada ted to connect and disconnect the shaft wit a part of said intermediate mechanism to effect rotation in a reverse direction; substantially as described.

8. Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs,

.drums by which the tongs are operated, said drums being adapted to ra se and lower the tongs, and one of the drains having independent rotation'to a limited extent to effect the opening and closing of the tongs, means for rotating drum atrany point within the limits of said independent rotation "said drums beingv mounted on and rotated'by-a single shaft; substantially as described.

9 Hoisting mechanism comprising. tongs,

I and 'a' shaft having drums, by which the tongs are operated, said drums being adapted to raise and lower the .tongs, and one of the drums having connections on said shaft partly o permitting independentrotation to a limited extent to effect the'opening and closing'of the tongs; and means for rotating said independently-rotatable drum while the'tongs are ened substantially as described. 10. oisting mechanism comprising'ton'gs and three drums mounted on a shaft 'by which the tongs are operated, one of the drums havingconnections on said shaft per initting" independent rotation to a limited"- extent, to efiect the opening and closing of the tongs; substantial y as described. 11. The combination of a shaft, a drum,

and. collars or projections 33, 34 and 35, on

the shaft, one of them being fixed to the shaft, a collar or projection on the drum' I adapted to engage the collar 35, and means the independently rotatable for frictionally connecting the drum to the shaft; substantially. as described.

12. Apparatus for operating hoistingdrums independently or simultaneously as l desired, comprising a shaft and three drums,

l the third drum having mechanism on. said shaft arranged to permit independent rota-v substantially as described.

13. Apparatus for operating hoistingof said drums being fixed to the shaft, and the other drum having-mechanism adapted to permit independentrotation of-the shaft to a limited extent, a motor for'operating scribed.

drums by whichthe tongs are operated, sa1

drums being adapted to raise and lower the tongs, and one of the drums having independent rotation to a limited extent to effect drums being mounted'on and rotated hyasingle shaft, a motor for operating-said shaft,

to stop the motor atfpredetermined points;

substantially as-des'crlbed.

drums by which the tongs are operated, said tongs, and one of the drums having indedrums being mounted on and rotated-by a single shaft, a motor for operating said shaft,

ating said controller to start said motor and maticallystopping said motor; substantially as described.. v 1 16. Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs and three drums mounted on a 'shaftby which the tongs are operated, one'of the drums having connections on said shaft permitting independent rotation to alimited extent to effect the opening and closingv of the tongs, and means on the tongs for limiting the opening and closing -movement of said tongs; substantially as described.

-17.. .Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs and three'drums mounted on a shaft by which the tongs are operated, one of the drums having connections on said shaft pertent toeffect the opening and closing'of the tongs, means on the tongs by which the openmg and closing movement is positively limdrums independently or simultaneously as desired, comprisinga shaft and drums, one.

14. Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs a controller for said motor, and mechanism for automatically operating said controller pendent rotation to a limited extent to effect the opening and closing of the tongs, said.

two of said drums being fixed to the shaft-and I v tion of the shaft to at least a limited extent;

s5 saidshaft and mechanism for automatically stopping said motor; substantially as] deg the opening and closing of the tongs, said 9 i 15. Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs,

drums being adapted to raise and lower the a controller for said motor, means for oper- 1o 5 Y mechanismoperated by the shaft for. automitting independent rotation to a limited exited; and means arranged to rotate said drums while the tongs are partly opened subopening and closin movement is positively 1o stantially as described. limited; substantia 1y as described.

18. Hoisting mechanism comprising tongs In testimony whereof I have hereunto set and three drums mounted on a shaft by my hand. which the tongs are operated, one of the drums-having connections on said shaft per- 1 mitting independent rotation'to a limited ex- 1 Witnesses: tent to effect the opening and closing of the WILLIAM K. AcKLEY, tongs, and jaws on the tongs by which the l WM. G. STEWART.

ALBERT E. EVANS. 

